Just like the Yankees, Aaron Judge has proven to be human over the past couple of weeks.
With the All-Star break approaching — although not for Judge — the slugger’s production has dipped and so has the team’s success.
Judge entered Saturday in what amounts to a slump for him. Over his previous 13 games, he had gone just 9-for-49, with three doubles, two homers, seven RBIs, seven walks and 18 strikeouts. That added up to a .653 OPS and during that span, in which the Yankees went 5-8.
Manager Aaron Boone said he believes the recent downturn is simply a product of the season and not related to the calf soreness Judge experienced earlier this month.
“I don’t think so,’’ Boone said when asked if the timing of Judge’s slowdown at the plate could be tied to his legs.
“It’s more just the nature of the season,’’ Boone said. “You’re gonna have a stretch where you’re a little bit off. He set a pretty high bar in the first 2½ or three months [of the season].”
Judge maintained an OPS of more than 1.000 and a batting average of nearly .300 until the end of June, with the added workload of moving over to center field.
No player was more important to their superb first half than Judge, who carried the offense at times and whose ability to slide over to center field allowed the team to use Giancarlo Stanton — and more recently, Matt Carpenter — in corner outfield spots.
Judge and the Yankees are still in the midst of a terrific first half and Boone believes both will survive the last couple of weeks, when they’ve seemed beatable.
“That’s the nature of 162 [games],’’ Boone said before the Yankees faced the Red Sox on Saturday night in The Bronx. “Even in MVP seasons, you’re gonna have a week or two here or there that’s not quite MVP [level].”
Boone said he didn’t need to see his team lose five of six or eight of 13 while Judge returned to Earth to know how vital he is to the offense and the team overall.
“I don’t know that we needed any more proof of how important Aaron Judge is to this team,’’ Boone said.
And like fellow All-Star Stanton, Judge won’t have the luxury of time off during the break.
He’ll be one of the main faces of the festivities in Los Angeles, although like Stanton, Judge is skipping the Home Run Derby.
Boone said he’s kept that in mind when planning off days for Judge, who started in center field again Saturday.
Most recently, Boone kept Judge out of the lineup on Tuesday following a day off Monday.
Judge was then in the lineup each of the next four games — including three straight extra-inning games, all in center field.
Boone said he “definitely considered” Judge’s upcoming workload when putting together his lineups lately and would continue to do that after the break, especially with a doubleheader on Thursday in Houston coming out of the break.
“It’s gonna be a grind [for Judge],” Boone said of the All-Star Game. “A good kind of grind.”
Boone expects more big things from Judge in the second half.
“He’s been the straw in the middle of a strong start to the season,’’ he said of Judge’s contributions.